google+

The first of Google's big social announcements today is a new addition to Google + -- communities. Communities are groups of people arranged around a Google+ hub page dedicated to a specific topic. Community membership can be public or private, Google says, and support anything from local neighborhoods to groups arranged around a common interest or activity.
Like circles, Google+ will let...

When the Play store apk last updated, the folks at Android Police noticed some reference pointing towards a Google+ tie in with user reviews, and now it's live. We figured it was coming when we saw all the reviews on the web go anonymous, and now whenever you go to leave a comment and review for an app you're first told it's going to happen, then you're switched to your Google+ account to do the...

It's just been brought to our attention that Google+ has rolled out a new feature that integrates Google Play links directly into stream posts. Now when you link to an app in the Play Store, other users viewing the post can directly install it on their devices without having to be redirected to the Play Store listing first.
This is a pretty sweet feature considering how expansive the Android...

As you'll know if you tried to pick up a new Nexus 4 or Nexus 10 today, the first round of stock didn't last long, and server load issues made it particularly tricky to get through the ordering process.
In its first statement on the Nexus launch, Google acknowledged that high demand for the new phone and tablet has led to the devices becoming sold out in some territories. At the time of writing,...

Google has started rolling out a new version of its mobile homepage, featuring an expandable menu on the left, which visitors can use to access a range of the company's mobile services. Similar to the official Google+ and YouTube apps for Android, the latest iteration of Google.com for mobile features looks to add more functionality without cluttering up the screen too much. The new menu can be...

The Google+ app for Android has just been updated to version 3.2, bringing a few notable features. First and foremost, "Google+ Pages" owners -- like businesses -- can now view, post and comment from mobile. Also in this update is a new "find people" feature -- which is pretty self explanatory -- and the ability to access photos from posts with one tap. Viewing photos was a bit of a pain in the...

Sure, you read all the blog posts. And you listen to the podcasts. And you're active in the forums. But that's just the beginning of all the ways you can let Android Central invade your life. We're all up in Google+, of course, with more than 63,000 satisfied customers.
And in addition to our main page, be sure to follow all of us individually as well. Here's a handy list, in handy bullet points...

Now that we've got one of those new-fangled Google+ URLs, it's never been easier to follow Android Central on Google's social network. Hit up google.com/+androidcentral and follow us to keep on top of all the latest news, reviews, live coverage and community happenings!
Also, Phil apparently got one, too. Catch him at google.com/+PhilNickinson.
More: Android Central on Google+

The newly redesigned Google+ app for Android just keeps getting better. This most recent update brings improvements to hangouts, allowing younger users to initiate them and all users to watch hangouts on air. Most notable when you first open the newly update app, you will see a grey bar at the top of the window with sharing options. This is a welcome addition that saves you that one extra tap...

If we were ever in doubt that Google+ is becoming more of a focus for Google, today's Gmail announcement just reinforces it a little bit more. The video chat feature in Gmail is being replaced as of this morning. Taking its place, Google+ Hangouts.
It isn't that surprising to see this integration eventually come around, but it is still a welcome upgrade. Google+ Hangouts is already a pretty...

Google has made it clear at Google I/O -- they love Google+ and are going full steam ahead with the social platform. We don't blame them, as we think with the right nurturing it can stand out among the rest. What's been sorely missing is options for third party applications to integrate with G+ as the do with Facebook and Twitter. Google has made that one step closer to reality today with the...

Google announced moments ago that they will finally be releasing a tablet-optimized version of its social network, Google+. For a long time, we've either had to use the browser or a phone app, which hasn't been the greatest experience. They announced a new app with a tablet-optimized UI. It looks pretty gorgeous and the Hangouts feature in particular has us excited.
It will be available for...

Bradley Horowitz, the man pulling the strings behind Google+, has been speaking today at the LeWeb 12 conference in London. Several partners were announced for the social platform, including Buddy Media, Hootsuite, Context Optional, Hearsay Social, Involver and Vitrue, who are all now "trusted partners." Perhaps more interesting though, is the addition of Flipboard to that list.
Opening up the...

No, Google+ app. Not "this." Because "this," being a comic-drawn crotch shot, is not what I wanted folks to focus their attention on when I linked to Peter Ha's TechCrunch piece debunking the Bloomberg story that Microsoft had "shut out" HTC from manufacturing Windows 8 devices. My only comment -- "This."
(BTW, Bloomberg's is a fairly ridiculous story, led by the all-too-familiar "people with...

It has been quite some time now since Google acquired Zagat, and while we've seen some embedding of reviews and such in the past, Google has now brought Zagat into the fold in a much larger way. Google+ Local has now been introduced making it easier to find Zagat scores and and restaurant suggestions from folks you interact with on Google+. In addition to the Google+ integration roll out,...

Our iOS-loving pals got this one a couple weeks ago, but now it's our turn. The redesigned Google+ app is now available for Android. And quite an update it is. In addition to the visual refresh, you'll get the following:
Initiate a Hangout from the main menu
Support for ringing hangout notification
Support for post editing
Messenger suggestions for people you may know
Download...

Google is showing off the new sexy with the Google+ app update, but unfortunately only iOS users get to see it for now. Things like full bleed pictures, crisper sharp fonts, larger profile pics and a revamped home screen are on board, and from the looks of the screen shots it's absolutely freaking gorgeous. But again, it's only for iOS right now.
Before we start writing those on-line petitions...

By now the existence of Google Drive isn't really a question. It does exist, it's out there and now the Android connection has been confirmed for anyone who may still have had doubts.
During a Google+ Hangout highlighting Android developers, a Google employee using a Galaxy Nexus inadvertently showed off the "Share to drive" option on his device as you can just barely see in the screen cap above...

When Google+ launched last summer, users in India and the United States were able to interact with their circles via SMS, however other territories have so far been left out of the text-based fun. That changes today, as Google+'s SMS features are rolled out to 41 new countries, mostly in the developing world --
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo (DRC), Cote...

Sprint is pushing out a small update for the 7-inch ZTE Optik today, bringing a few welcome bug fixes to the tablet and some decent software enhancements. According to the official changelog, we should be seeing the following:
Google DRM solution
Google Music
Google+
Persistent notification after BT transfer
Software version corrected in x-wap profile
Sim City closes when...

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